Litigation Assistant

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. 

Position Summary 

NRDC is seeking a Litigation Assistant to work with the Litigation Team, to be based out of one of our Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica, or Washington, DC offices. 

The Litigation Team is a group of approximately 40 lawyers, litigation assistants, and other operations staff who pursue litigation across a broad range of environmental and public health issues in collaboration with and on behalf of communities and people most impacted by environmental injustices (including Black, indigenous, and people of color, and low-income and rural communities). Over the past five years, we have litigated cases against the federal government to prevent climate pollution, challenge agency approvals of toxic chemicals and pesticides, resist the suspension of clean water safeguards, oppose offshore drilling and seismic exploration for oil and gas, defend national monuments, and protect energy efficiency standards, among other matters. We also bring enforcement cases against corporate and governmental entities whose violations harm health and the environment—including recent cases to protect the people of Newark, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan, from lead in drinking water; to remediate toxic pollution in the Penobscot River in Maine; to abate mold in New York City public housing for residents with asthma; and to halt air pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Illinois. 

We are looking for a litigation assistant or paralegal to support the Litigation Team.  

Responsibilities

Litigation support duties may include (80%):  

Under lead direction of Litigation Team attorneys and/or other Litigation Team members: 

• Format, proofread, and fact-check documents to be filed in court, including generating tables of contents and authorities, assembling exhibits, etc. 
• Arrange service of court filings. 
• Conduct research and summarize court rules. 
• Proofread legal correspondence, such as cover letters and notices. 
• Manage and maintain up-to-date case files. 
• Compute and calendar court deadlines. 
• With guidance from other Litigation Team members, conduct factual research to advance case development and summarize findings in written memoranda.  
• Assist with interviewing NRDC members to support anticipated and pending litigation, and draft affidavits.  
• Assist attorneys with hearing and deposition preparations, including preparing document binders, printing exhibits, creating exhibit lists, etc.  
• Generate research notes, memoranda, tables, graphs, and other visuals.  
• Under supervision of other Litigation Team members, review documents and evidence produced by other parties in litigation, and analyze and summarize relevant documents.  
• Track media outlets, websites, and relevant dockets and issues relating to the Team’s litigation.  
• Participate in and take notes during conference calls and meetings.  
• Work in collaboration with other Litigation Assistants and Operations Manager as needed. 

Administrative support duties may include (20%): 

• Process invoices and expense reports, and produce reports on case expenses. 
• Assist with hiring and orienting new staff and interns. 
• Schedule meetings, book travel and associated logistics, and assist with organizing retreats.  
• Additional non-case-related administrative support as needed. 

Qualifications

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles 
• Ability and eagerness to learn paralegal skills and processes. 
• Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with diverse colleagues, leaders, and partners. 
• Demonstrated ability to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technology. 
• Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute multiple tasks, follow institutional procedures, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Strong problem-solving skills. 
• Superior editing, research, and data synthesis skills. 
• Excellent research and analytical skills, including the ability to understand technical, scientific, political, economic, and policy issues and synthesize this knowledge in a coherent and non-technical fashion. 
• Commitment to accuracy and rigor. 
• Willingness and flexibility to work paid overtime, when needed. 
• Orientation towards working with a broad range of people on different projects.  
• Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook). 
• Strong sense of teamwork, work ethic, and humility; a growth mindset; the ability to maintain composure and sense of humor under deadline pressure. 
• Ability to travel as needed to NRDC U.S.-based offices.

Preferred  

• 1 year of previous administrative or paralegal experience (or equivalent)

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary is $55,000 to $61,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.  

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues.  We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and which office you are interested in being located in and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.